'White Supremacist Mass Shooter' At Jefferson Square Park Turns Out to Be Hispanic Homeless Man Steven Lopez

Chris Menahan
InformationLiberation
Jun. 28, 2020

The Twitterati on Saturday night reported that a "white supremacist" went on a mass shooting targeting "peaceful protesters" at Jefferson Square Park in Louisville, Kentucky.

This was the top result when searching "Jefferson Square Park" Sunday on Twitter:

A white supremacist opened fired at a group of peaceful protestors who were organized at Jefferson Square Park in Louisville, Kentucky, today demanding JUSTICE FOR BREONNA TAYLOR.

Multiple victims were shot!

THIS IS AMERICA! pic.twitter.com/aDXyH4y1q3
— StanceGrounded (@_SJPeace_) June 28, 2020

Actor Daniel Newman told his nearly 1 million followers that it appeared that "a White Male just committed a Mass Shooting targeting Peaceful Black Americans."

It appears a White Male just committed a Mass Shooting targeting Peaceful Black Americans tonight on Jefferson Square Park. Yet Another White mass shooter while TRUMP says African Americans are the problem he wants to "Lock Up". 🤬This Must Stop! pic.twitter.com/J2glM3Xi16
— DanielNewmaη 404-737-1636 (@DanielNewman) June 28, 2020

Though Twitter will fact-check the president's opinions, this disinformation apparently didn't merit any similar such fact-check.

On the ground reports came out just hours after the shooting claiming the gunman was a homeless man named Steven Lopez who was apparently kicked out of the park.

⚠️ Supposed homeless guy “Steven Lopez” open fires on protestors during an argument in Jefferson Square Park - Downtown Louisville, Kentucky - Saturday, June 27th 2020 ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/1Istf5bF1Q
— Official thedjrayray (@thedjrayray) June 28, 2020

"Several witnesses identified Lopez, who had frequented the park, as the shooter," The Courier Journal reported on Sunday. "And video surveillance showed him shooting a handgun into the crowd, the citation says."

"Several bystanders returned fire, shooting Lopez in the leg, according to the citation."

The Courier Journal reported that Lopez was a regular at the protests:

Lopez has been a frequent sight at the protests, which have rocked the streets of Louisville for a month.

Several Courier Journal reporters have seen him among the crowd in recent days, and a speaker at a Kentucky Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression press conference Sunday morning said he'd been among the crowd for the past 12 days at least.

Steven Lopez is arrested on June 17 after an attempt by protesters to block Liberty Street. Lopez was charged with murder on Sunday, June 28, in connection with a fatal shooting Saturday night.

Court records show he was one of 17 protesters arrested on June 17, and a Courier Journal photographer captured his arrest that day in a photo. He was charged that morning with inciting a riot, disorderly conduct, harassment and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Rather than the story being one of a white male shooting peaceful black American protesters, the story was one of an Hispanic male shooting a peaceful white American protester.

The victim killed Saturday night in a shooting at a protest at Jefferson Square Park was a Louisville man who had become a vocal supporter of ongoing protests against racism and police brutality.

Tyler Gerth was 27.https://t.co/CBsSS4ZHHF
— Tessa Duvall (@TessaDuvall) June 28, 2020

Had the former been true, this would be the top story in the country. As the later appears to be the case, the story was dropped by the media like a hot potato.

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